Hunting/Fishing for Giant Pacific Octopus?

[acnewman55]

Anyone done it?  Can it be done without use of scuba gear - like with a snorkel?

I want to catch one and smoke it.


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[pianoman9701]

In the Mediterranean, they use clay pots for the octo to crawl into. They also get caught on halibut jigs fairly regularly.

[WAPatriot]

I've done a lot of homework on this. Check out some of the research studies done in Vancouver and Alaska. There are special traps kinda like the old Greek clay pots.

[h20hunter]

Go down and grab one. Keep in mind, the diving community will tar and feather you given the chance.

[Goldeneye]

Here's the last time this subject came up.  Got pretty ugly...


http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,108900.0.html

[RadSav]

In the Mediterranean, they use clay pots for the octo to crawl into. They also get caught on halibut jigs fairly regularly.

I've seen this done for small ones.  Never seen it done for giants.

We would get them in cab pots on a regular basis off the Oregon coast.  I'm not usually a sushi kind of guy, but eating octi before the meat even stops wiggling is some of the best eats on the planet!  

[pianoman9701]

Go down and grab one. Keep in mind, the diving community will tar and feather you given the chance.

Be careful. Octo are aggressive and even medium-sized once can rip off a mask and regulator. Some divers bite around their eyes to kill them quickly. Their brain is right under the eyes.

[boneaddict]

I hunted them with a spear pistol in the Aegean and Med, just snorkeling/skin diving.   Befriended a local who sold to restaurants to make money.  I spent a couple days with him.   Fun as heck.  Have to have good eyes.   Not sure how that would work here, water clarity wise.

[CP]

I've caught a couple small ones in Puget sound while crabbing.  I expect most will squeeze through the pot mesh while it's being pulled.  I'm sure that one could come up with a pot that would catch them consistently.

[RadSav]

The ones we would get in the crab pots would yield about as much meat as an average blacktail deer.  Not sure the little ones would be worth the trouble of skinning.  I would certainly think twice about grabbing one of those while diving!

[h20hunter]

Having seen and interacted with many I can assure you they are very strong. Smart as well. I would look for a 10 or 15 pounder...maybe 1 inch sucker as high on the arm as you can see. You pretty much, with diving, are restricted to hand harvest. Probably could set pots as well. Good luck.

[WAPatriot]

I've killed octopus in 3 continents. I saw the octo that the diver killed out of the honeyhole I think that was the name of the sunken boat. No way would I mess with a GPO underwater without some fire power. Never eaten a large one but the small ones taste awesome. I have meaty fists and that GPO that the diver killed had eyes as big as my fist. No sir not for me

[magnanimous_j]

I've seen traps that are little more than PVC drain pipe (capped at one end) and a little concrete to ensure they lay flat on the sea floor. Attach with rope and pull after 24 hrs. I would place them near structure, but in an open area; the idea being the octo would pop in there for shelter if he wandered too far away and found himself in open ground.

[acnewman55]

I'm not certain about the legality of using pots?

I guess the only limitation is that they can't be caught using a tool that impaled the octopus. Catching them via angling is legal though.

I wasn't planning on diving for them, though that seems pretty doable for the smaller ones.

I also would not try to wrestle an 80 pounder the way that kid on Alki did! He trained for that in a pool SEAL style lol.

Anyway, I found some interesting lures for them to use with a fishing pole. The lures look like a smaller red octopus which signals aggression, and they attack the lure and get hooked. Seems doable!


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[magnanimous_j]

I'm not certain about the legality of using pots?

I guess the only limitation is that they can't be caught using a tool that impaled the octopus. Catching them via angling is legal though.

I wasn't planning on diving for them, though that seems pretty doable for the smaller ones.

I also would not try to wrestle an 80 pounder the way that kid on Alki did! He trained for that in a pool SEAL style lol.

Anyway, I found some interesting lures for them to use with a fishing pole. The lures look like a smaller red octopus which signals aggression, and they attack the lure and get hooked. Seems doable!


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From what I understand, pots and traps are legal, but lures aren't. I think the part about caught while angling means you can keep them as bycatch.